‘Antibirth’ Is Natasha Lyonne’s Meth-Fueled Take On Pregnancy

Do you want to see something crazy? I’ve got you. There’s a drug-fueled body horror movie out there that’s committed to showing off the grotesque sides of pregnancy, and it does not hold back. The best part? It stars Natasha Lyonne and Chloë Sevigny, and it’s on Netflix right now.

Directed by Danny Perez, Antibirth follows the personal horror story of Lou (Lyonne), a hard-partying young woman who starts to mysteriously show pregnancy symptoms despite not having sex for a year. This understandably freaks Lou out. After hanging out with her friend Sadie (Sevigny), Sadie’s drug dealing boyfriend, and a mysterious and clairvoyant stranger (Meg Tilly), things escalate for Lou is the worst way possible. I don’t want to give too much away because the ending of Antibirth watches like a bad trip. Just know that things do not go well for the Orange Is the New Black actress, and there are a lot of gross out moments.

At its core, Antibirth is a good, old fashioned body horror movie, and it’s a well crafted one at that. However, what sets this movie apart from hundreds of others in its genre is Antibirth’s focus on feminine themes, specifically pregnancy. Women are supposed to be dainty, sweet creatures, especially when they’re pregnant. Hollywood often takes it a set further, often portraying glowing pregnant women as delicately as they would angels. Lou’s pregnancy is nothing like that. It’s bloody, it’s disgusting, and it’s an unwanted nightmare that never ends. The movie focuses on a protagonist who isn’t sure is she’s having a baby but desperately does not want to give birth. Much like Rosemary’s Baby, there’s a bit of a fight between Antibirth’s young mother and the unborn child, though Lou’s child isn’t simply the son of Satan. And then there are the drugs. Throughout Lou’s unexpected pregnancy, she never stops partying, resulted in many scenes portraying the effects of unknown drugs.

Antibirth isn’t all drug-fueled scenes and gross out moments. There are several genuinely dark parts of the movie that will make you feel for its young protagonist and her living hell. But next time you and your friends are trying to find the craziest things on Netflix (a game I’ve played with my roommates several times), give Antibirth a shot. I promise it’ll be memorable.